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Lancaster on the Na ' 

Picturesque and Historical 

Prepared by W. A. EMERSON Assisted by J, C L CLARK 




M.A. TOLMAN, PUBLi 

LEOMINSTER M'" - 
(.:opyriclit. V'-n 'ly M \ 



TUB I-II-ril MBETJ.SG-HOL'SE. 



Built in laie. Dedicated January 1, 1817. Designed by Charles llultincli, the earliest prolessiaiial architect in 
New En/;land. who also built the Slate House in Boston. The cupola has been pronounced by competent critics to 
be almost faultless in its proportions. In 1S81-8S an apse, the Thayer Memorial Chapel, was added to the main 
building in honor of Dr. Nathaniel Thayer and his wife, Mrs. Sarah Toppan Thayer. Its expense was defrayed 
by a popular subscription among the friends of the church, and its memorial character indicated hy portraits and a 
suitably inscribed wall tablet. 



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Lancaster on the Nashua 

Picturesque and Historical 

Prepared by W. A. EMERSON Assisted by J, C. L. CLARK 



") / 







M. A. TOLMAN. PUBLISHEK 

LEOMINSTER, MASS. 

CopyriBht, IWH. l.y M. A. Tolinaii 



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LIBRAHYof CONGRESS 
Iwu Cupieb H(;(;clveu 

DLC 21 iau4 
. CoDyriuiii ciiuy 

CUSS A XXc, Noi 

/ tf v 'r T -y 

COPY B, 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



2 Frontispiece. Fifth Meeting House H. E. 

5 River View (panel) . . Mrs. J. K. 

6 I'i)rtrait Rev. Nathaniel Thaj-er, 
«^^ I), (after Gilbert Stuart) . H. E. 

O^^^iit Rev. G. M. Bartol, D. D. 

7 Interior Fifth Meeting House . H 
9 Old "Burying Field" . 

11 Grave of John Prescott 

1 1 Fairbanks Graves 

13 Site of the First and 

Meeting Houses 
15 Site of the Third Meetin 
17 Grave of Dr. Robertson 
19 Site of Fourth Meeting House 
21 The Rowlandson Garrison Site 
23 The Rowlandson Boulder . 
25 Site of Indian Trucking House 
27 Site of Willard-Stevens Garrison H 
29 John Prescott's First House Lot. H 
31 Site of Minister's House . . H 
33 Bird Museum, South Lancaster . H. E. 
33 Site of Thomas Sawyer Garrison H. E. 
35 The Joslin House Site . . . H. E. 
37 Parsonage of Rev. Nathaniel 

Thayer. D. D. (from p;iinting) H. E. 



E, 

F. E. F, 

F. E. I 

F. E. F 

Second 

. H. E, 

a; House H. E, 

. H. E, 



H. 
H. 
H. 
H. 



>TO BV 

Carlton 
Bnrrage 

Carlton 
Notman 
Carlton 
airbanks 
airljanks 
airbanks 

Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 
Carlton 

Carllon 



39 Site of Thayer Parsonage . 

41 Churches and Parsonages 

43 Bird's-eye View George Hill 

•4-4 Residence of John E. Thayer 

45 Residence of Bayard Thayer 

46 View between the Center ; 

South Lancaster 

47 Residence of E. V. R. Thayer 
49 Capt. Samuel Ward House 
51 Old School and Town House 
51 New School Btiilding 
51 The "Mansion House" 
51 Old Town House and Depot 
53 The Vose House 
53 The Gen. John Whiting House 
55 "Good Rest" . 
57 The Washburn Place 
59 The Carter Mill 
61 The Thurston House 

63 The Cutler House . 

64 Old Oaken Bucket . . . Edmu 

65 The Phelps House . . . Edmu 
67 The "Great Elm" . . . . H 
69 The "Carter Oak" . . . H 
71 The " Beainan Oak" . . . H 



. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 
nd 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 

. H. 
H. 

. H. 

. H. 
Dr. Wm. 
Mrs. J. 



PHOTO BV 

E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 



E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
E. Carlton 
0. Johnson 
K. Burrage 

nd G. Davis 

nd G. Davis 

E. Carlton 

E. Carlton 

E. Carlton 



PAGE 

73 Memi)rial Hall — Library 

75 Capt. John White House 

76 Sprague Bridge and Shallows . 

77 The "Wading Place" . 

78 South Lancaster View . 

79 Old Town Pound .... 

80 Main street, Lancaster Center . 

81 Parker's Pond . . Dr. W 
S2 Lancaster Center, 1839 (crayon 

cop}') .... Miss 

83 Bird's-eye View, 190+ . 

84 Old Slate Quarry . . Mrs. 

Photograpbin^ and Engraving by \V 
Company, Boston. Printing by Sent 





PHOTO BV 


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Carlton 


85 


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Carlton 


86 


H. 


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Carlton 


87 


H. 


E. 


Carlton 


88 


H. 


E. 


Carlton 


89 


H. 


E. 


Carlton 


90 


H. 


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Carlton 


91 


ni. 


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Johnson 


92 
93 


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Tolman 


94. 


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95 


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96 



Old Brick Tavern . 
Herd of Jerseys 
The Center Bridge 
River at Woodruff Bridge 
White Birch Road 



PHOTO BY 

Edmund G. Davis 

. H. E. Carlton 

. H. E. Carlton 

David Dias 

David Dias 



cod bury-Carl ton-Corn 
nel Printing Company 



The River from Ponikin Bridge J. W. Caldwell 

Poiiikin Bridge . . . . J. W. Caldwell 

Seven Bridge Road . . . David Dias 

South Branch of the Nashua . David Dias 

"Meeting of the Waters " . . H. E. Carlton 

" Meeting of the Waters " . . F. L Peckham 

Seven Bridge Road . . . H. E. Carlton 



pany, Worcester. Engraving by Franklin Engraving 
Fitchburg. Binding by J. S. Wesby S: Son, Worcester. 






HKV. NATHAMKI. TlIAVKK. II. II. KKV. CKOKOK MUKILLO BARTIIL, II. H. 

It is now two hundred and titty years since Master Joseph Rowlandson began his ministrations in 
the Nashua valley, and there have l)een but eight incumbents of the church of which he was the first pas- 
tor, two of whom were slain, their joint service amounting to but twelve years. With the exception ot 
Dr. Scars, who was obliged by failing health to seek rest from the cares of so large a parish, no minister 
of the church has asked or received dismission. Dr. Bartol, the prcsuiit minister, is now serving in the 
fifty-eighth year of his pastorate. The names of the eight ministers and the time of service of each is as 
follows: Joseph Rowlandson, 1654-1675; John Whiting, 1690-ir.',17 ; Andrew Gardner, 1701-1704-; John 
Prentice, 1708-174S; Timothy Harrington, 174-S-1795; Nathaniel Thayer, I). I)., 1793-1840; Edward 
Hamilton Sears, D. 1)., 184-0-1S47; (k-orge -M. Bartol, D. D., 1847 . 




Interior Fifth McctiitM^-hoiisc. 



The "Old Burying Field." East cif the "Middle CciiR-tery," across the railway. It occupies a long, 
narrow knoll, mentioned first in 16.58 as " Bur3'ing Place Hill," and probably set apart for its purpose in 
Hi.").'!, it being close bv the site of the first meeting-house. The earliest stones in this cemetery are rude 
slabs of granite, and tlie brief inscriptions, now almost illegible, seem to have been incised by an <ir(li- 
nary blacksmith's chisel in unskilled hands. It will be noticed that over the grave of John Prescott, 
as wxll as over the other ancient graves about it, there is laid a large, flat slab of stone, supposed to 
have been so placed to guard against its being disturbed by wolves. The graves of four of the earlier minis- 
ters. Whiting, (iardner. Prentice and Harrington, are grouped together in this yard. Doubtless, this field 
contains many unmarked graves of former dwellers in the town. Why it has been absurdly called the 
"Old Indian Cemetery" it is hard to see, except that it was in use during the period of Indian depreda- 
tions. 

This picture was taken on the occasion of the first family reunion of the descendants ot Jonas and 
Lydi.-i (Prescott) Fairbanks. I'nder the direction of Hon. Henry S. Nourse, "Historian of the Nashua 
Valley," each grave was pointed out and the story of the occupant was told. 



The Grave of John Prescott, the Founder of Lancaster. Near this ancient headstone in tlie Ohl [Uiiv- 
ing Field a sulistaiitial slate tablet has recenth- lieen placed by a lineal descendant, liearing an inscriplicin 
prepared b_v the late Senator George F. Hoar. 

HERE 

WITH HIS CIULDRE.N ABOIT HIM LIES 

JOHN PRESCOTT 

FOUNDER OK LANCASTER AND FIRST SETTLER 

OF WORCESTER COUNTY 

BORN AT STANDISH, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND 

DIED AT LANCASTER, MASSACHUSETTS, DfiCEMIlER, 16S1. 

INSPIRED BY THE LOVE OF LIBERTY AND THE FEAR OF GOD 

THIS STOUT-HEARTED PIONEER 

FORSAKING THE PLEASANT VALES OF ENGLAND 

TOOK UP HIS ABODE IN THE UNBROKEN FOREST 

AND ENCOUNTERED WILD BEAST AND SAVAGE 

TO SECURE FREEDOM 

FOR HIMSELF AND HIS POSTERITY'. 

HIS FAITH AND VIRTUES 

HAVE BEEN INHERITED BY MANY DESCENDANTS 

WHO IN EVERY GENERATION HAVE WELL SERVED THE STATE 

IN WAR, IN LITERATURE, AT THE BAR, IN THE PULPIT, IN PUBLIC LIFE, 

AM) IN CHRISTIAN HOMES, 



Grave of Jonathan Fairbanks and His Daughter Grace. Jonas Fairbanks of Dedhani, and Lydia. the 
youngest daughter of John Frescott, were the first couple married within the limits of Lancaster. Jonas 
and his son, Joshua Fairbanks, were killed by the Indians in the massacre of 1676. Another son, Jona- 
than, with his daughter Grace, was killed in the Indian massacre of 1697. His wife was taken captive 
and carried to Canada, but was afterwards rescued or ransomed bv the government. 



Woods on the Thayer Estate, midway between the "Old Burying Field" and the " Middle Cemetery." 
On the highest ground in the "Middle Cemetery," just beyond the hedge and pine tree which appear to 
the extreme right and above the railroad in the picture, is the site of the first and second meeting-houses, 
both burned by the Indians, 1676 and 1704-. 



The Site of the Third Meeting-House, on the UiidII at the right and opposite the "Old Common" 
Cemetery. Built in 1706 on land donated In- John Houghton. When the fourth meeting-house was built 
at Lancaster Center this church building was torn down and the material divided up and used towards 
the construction of school-hou.ses. 

The "Old Common" Cemetery was located on a lot given by the second Thomas Wilder about the 
time the meeting-house was built opposite, proliably in ITO.'i. 



In Memory of 

DAVID STEI'ART ROBERTSON, 

Second son of the late John Robertson, Esq.. 

of Fovcran House, Aberdeenshire. 

Born in Scotland. 

Educated at Rugby, in England, 

And at Giessen. in Germany, 

In which country, as well as in Sicily. 

He had spent several j-ears. 

At the age of twenty-three 

He came to America. 

Haviug. after various experience of the Old World. 

Acquired an ardent love for the New, 

He settled in this town of Lancaster, 

And became a citizen of the United States. 

Deceased on the twenty- first of July, 

A. D. MDCCCXLIX. 

In the thirtieth year of his age. 



Here Steuart sleeps— and should some I.irother Scot, 

Wander this way. and pause upon the spot. 

He need not ask, now life's poor show is o'er. 

What arms he carried, or ^vhat plaid he wore; 

So small the value of illustrious birth. 

Brought to this solemn, last assay of earth: 

Vet unreproved, bis epitaph may say, 

A royal soul was wrapt in Steuart's clay, 

And generous actions consecrate his mound. 

More than all titles, though of kingly sound. 



This epitaph was written by Dr. Thomas \V. Parsons, the poet and translator of Dante. He was 
an intimate friend of Dr. Robertson, and a frequent visitor at his Lancaster home. The remains of the 
lady whom Dr. Robertson was to marry, and who long survived him, rest in the same lot. 



The Site of the Fourth Meeting House, aljout wliere Mrs. Scildii Wiltlcr's house now is, liut nearer 
tlie road. The residence appears throu,i;h the trees, a Httle to the left of the center of the picture. 

This meeting-house was built about 17+3, and after the erection of the present fifth meeting-house 
was used as a town house. In 1823 a new town house was built near the site of the other, most of 
the available material from the old being used in its construction. Here it remained until the present 
town hall was built in l.s+S, when it was tinally sold and moved to its present location near the depot. 



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The Site of the Rowlandson Garrison, scene of the chief massacre at the destruction oi Lancaster, 
February 10, 1676. Opposite the Middle Cemetery, near the white pine tree on the slope, on the grounds 
of Nathaniel Thayer. F-'or about two hours the savages beset this garrison in overwhelming numbers, 
pouring bullets upon it "like hail." I'nfortunately there was no stockade about the house and its rear 
flanker was unfinished and useless. A cart loaded with fla.x and hemp from the barn was pushed up 
against a lean-to in the rear and fired, and soon the whole l)uilding was in flames and the inmates of 
the burning house had to choose lietween death by fire or the merciless rage of the yelling demons that 
stood in wait for them without. Ephraim Roper burst through the horde of savages and escaped, the 
other eleven men were killed, and the women and children that survived were dragged away captive. 
.\ house was .-literwards Ijuilt In- Pliilip Goss on the same site as the garrison. This was one of the 
four dwellings destroyed 1)y the I'rcnch and Indians in the summer of 1 7lJ+. At this time the meeting- 
house near by was also burned. Many years after, while plowing in this field, the doorstep and hearth- 
stone of the Goss house were uncovered, and the pine tree which a])pears in the picture was planted to 
nu'uk the loc.'ition of the Rowlandson LTarrison. 



The Rowlandson Boulder. Tliis j;r;mite boulder, rent in twain and half buried, on the summit of 
(leorge Hill, marks the place where Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, wife of the minister of Lancaster, spent the 
first night of her captivity- surrounded by merciless savages, exulting in their success and celebrating by 
a fiendish carousal the terrible massacre which they had inflicted upon the innocent people of Lancaster. 
After a captivity of three or four months, during which she suft'ered extremely from cold, hunger and 
ill-usage, she was redeemed and restored to her husband. Her youngest child died while among the 
savages, and her son and daughter were restored soon after her return. We gather our knowledge of the 
massacre and captivity mostly from Mrs. Rowlandson's inimitable "Removes," published in 1682, after- 
wards going through many editions. The earlier extant edition was very appropriately reproduced on 
the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the incorporation of the town. 



The Site of the Indian Trucking House, im tlic eastern slope of George Hill, now "Maplchurst" 
Farm. The trucking house was the first building erected b\^ white men in the Nashua valley, and was the 
meeting place of several Indian tribes, it being the extreme western advance of the white men in Massa- 
chusetts. Here for eight or nine 3-ears lived John Prescott, and many other settlers gathered around 
him. The Ephraim Roper garrison was on the hillside, a little to the north and just above the school- 
house. On the summit of George Hill, which appears in the background, is the spot where Mrs. Row- 
landson is known to have spent the first night of her captivity. It is in the rocks of this hill that 
some of the finest specimens of chiastolite abound, in wliicli the "cross" always seen in such specimens 
is either white or vellowish brown, inclining to red. 



The Site of the Simon Willard or Cyprian Stevens Garrison, successfulh- defended February 10, 1676. 
In the garden of the place tornierly owned by the late Caleb T. Syninies, now the residence of Edward C. 
Hawkins, near the well, a short distance to the left of the residence, and near the grape arbor in the 
picture. This garrison was a substantial structure, probabh- of brick or stone, and surrounded by a 
stockade, it being the chief garrison and military headquarters. Cyprian Stevens in 1671 inarried Mary, 
daughter of Major Simon Willard, and the next year came into possession of the property, his father-in- 
law having removed to Groton. The feathered elm which stands on the corner at the right in the 
picture is one of the l;irgest of its kind, measuring eighteen feet in circumference five feet from the base. 



Main Street, Lancaster Center. Lancaster Inn, at the rijj;ht, stands on land wliicli was selected by 
John Prescott as his first house lot in Lancaster, but which he afterward sold to Ralph Houghton, 
and made his home at the Trucking House, on the west side of the river. It is related that Prescott, 
who had a considerable estate in Watertown, sold it, and packing his household goods upon horses, set 
out with his family through the wilderness for their new home. At the outset he met with serious mis- 
fortune. "He lost a horse and his lading in the Sudburj' river, and a week after, his wife and children 
being upon aiKJthcr horse were h.ardly saved from dniwning." 



The Site of the Minister's House, on the lawn of E. V. K. Thayer, aljout halt-way lietween his man- 
sion and the crossing of the streets. 

Here lived in succession Rev. Jolm Whitinjj, Rev. Andrew Gardner and Rev. John Prentice. The first 
was slain and scalped by Indians September 11, 1697, who surprised him outside the garrison and at- 
tempted to take him captive, but he chose rather to "fight to the last." The second was accidentally- 
shot by a sentr\' on the night of Thursday, October 26, 1704. Samuel Prescott being the sentinel on 
duty at the garrison, walking his beat within the stockade, suddenly saw a man "coming down out of 
the upper flanker," and receiving no reply to his repeated challenge, fired upon him in his surprise, 
supposing him to lie an Indian enemy. "To his own ,a;rief and horror, as well as that of the whole com- 
munity, it was found that he had mortally wounded the minister, who had been up in the watch-tower 
keeping guard b_v himself, in distrust of the wakefulness of the sentinels, who had been scouting in tlie 
woods all dav." 



Bird Museum, Snulli Lancaster. This nniseuin, with its niagniticeiit collection ot North American 
birds, is a monument ot" the public spirit of its owner, John E. Thayer, Esq., and of his industry and 
knowledge as a collector. In the orchard at the left in the picture, a few rods southwest of this 
Museum buildini;, and behind the houses of Mrs. Hosnier and Dr. Prince, is the Site of Thomas Sawyer's 
Garrison and Palisades. This garrison was successfully defended Februar3' 10, 1()76. In the raid of 
September 11, 1697, the savages planned to carr3' it In- assault, but as they prepared to rush upon it, 
Jabez Fairbanks galloped at full speed into the gates, coming from his own house, and the Indians, 
supposing they were discovered — though such w-as not the fact — passed by and turned their attack upon 
those in the fields and defenceless homes. Thomas Sawyer was a blacksmith of Rowley, and married 
Mary, the daughter of John I'rcscott. 



The "Joslin House" Site. Scene of the massacre of Juh- IS, 1692. Xear where Miss .\iina H. 
Whitney now lives. It was here that a small band of Indians surprised the family of Peter Joslin while 
he was absent in the field, killed Mrs. Sarah Joslin, Mrs. Hannah Whitcomb and three j'oung children, 
and took away as prisoners Eliz^ibeth Howe, the young sister of Mrs. Joslin, and Peter Joslin, aged 
about si.\ years. The boy was Ijutchered in the wilderness. Elizabeth, a girl of sixteen, when the Indi- 
ans approached the house was singing at the spinning wheel, and, tradition says, escaped the fate of her 
sister because of her captors' admiration for her song. She was ransomed from Canada after four 3'ears 
of captivity. 



The Thayer Parsonage. Home of Nathaniel Thaver, 1). D., sixth niiiiistcr of Lancaster. Nathaniel 
Thayer was twenty-four years of age when he began his labors as colleague of Rev. Timothy Harring- 
ton. He was the son of Rev. Ebenezer and Martha (Cotton) Thayer. His mother was a lineal descend- 
ant of John Cotton, the first minister of Boston. Two years after coming to Lancaster he was married 
to Sarah Topjjan of Hampton, and after the death ot his venerable colleague removed to the parsonage 
and resided there during the remainder of his forty-eight year pastorate. Ur. Thayer has been described 
by the late Henry S. Nourse as a man "of not over medium height, nor otherwise ot rare mould, but 
his dignified mien and a melodious voice of great compass and flexibility gave impressiveness to his ora- 
tory. Because of his power in the pulpit and wisdom in church politj-, he was frequenth* summoned from 
great distances to aid in ordination and council. To a gravity which might have graced the Puritan clergy- 
men, his maternal ancestors, he joined an affability that showed no discrimination in persons, and made 
him beloved of children. The day was never too long for hi^ activity. In the summer mornings, by five 
o'clock, the early travelers saw him tilling his garden by the roadside. In the after jiart of the day he 
rode about his extended parish, stopping to greet every one he met with a kindly inquiry, carrying con- 
solation to the sick and sorrowful, help to the destitute, the refreshment of hope to the despondent, cheer- 
fulness and peace lo all." While journeying for lioaltli and recreation. Dr. Thayer died very suddenly at 
Rochester, New Vork. June 23, 184-0. 



Mansion of the late Nathaniel Thayer, since renicidek-d and enlarj^ed, and now the residence ot his son, 
Mr. N;ithaniel Thayer. The parsonage stood tnider the ehiis l)et\veen the present house and the street, a 
few feet from the well which appears at the rijtht in the engraving. 




Ucsiilcncc nt Mr. Xntluinicl Tlinvcr 



The Orthodox Congregational Church, hiiilt in lS+1, enlart^od in ISOS. The chapel was built in 1852. 
The parsonatje adjoininj,' in 1902. 

The Catholic Church, built in 1873. 

The Swedenborgian Chapel, built in 1881. 

Residence of Rev. George M. Bartol, D. D. Built by Rev. Amos E. Lawrence, pastor of the Ortho- 
dox Conj>rct>atic)nal Church, afterwards bought and remodeled bv Dr. Bartol. 



View of George Hill, from the gruunds of Nathaniel Tha_ver. Tlie plan of settlement of the town 
was in two groups or double ranges of house lots, in sight of each other, but about a mile apart, 
the north river and its intervales lying between. But as one bloody raid after another strewed the 
slope of George Hill with ruins, the fact that in a military- sense the east side of the river was much the 
more secure from surprise and the more defensible, became obvious, and thither the increase in p(i]nilation 
tended. 







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Rcsitlcncv <ff Mr. John K. Thityer. 




A'es/t/i-mi- itf Mr. l:iiv;ir<l Thn 




M.iiii Street hi'twecti the Center und Smtth Lmicnstcr. 

4<i 




Residence ,Jl .\Ji. J.iii^LJiL- I. A'. Thii\>:r. 



The Capt. Samuel Ward Place, South Lancaster. The age of this house cannot be ascertained. It 
had been built many years when it was renovated and repaired by Capt. Ward upon his removal to Lan- 
caster in 176S. Capt. Samuel Ward was a native of Worcester, and in his boyhood a pupil of John Ad- 
ams. He entered the army at sixteen and held a commission in the French and Indian war. For fifty- 
nine 3'ears he was a prominent citizen of Lancaster, devoting his time to mercantile pursuits until the 
last twenty years of his life, which he spent in the care of his ample landed estate. He left his estate to 
his niece, Dolly Greene, whom he adopted \vhen a little child, his own children dying young. She married 
the nephew of .Mrs. Ward, 'Si|uire Chandler (as he was always called) of Petersham. They lived in Lan- 
caster after Capt. Ward's death. Madam Chandler survived her husband seventeen years, living to the 
age of eighty-six. Their daughter, Mrs. Mary G. Ware, is the present owner of this fine old homestead. 



The Town-House as coiupleted in 1S4S was one story at first. In 1S52 the second story was added 
and used for a school room until the new school building was erected. 

The New School Building was coni]iIeted in 1904-. 

The "Mansion House" is one of the oldest houses now standing. It was sold to William Greenleaf 
in 176S by Aaron Wilder, Jr., having been built several 3'ears before by his father, Aaron Wilder, who 
was a carpenter by trade. The house was used for nian_v j-ears as a boarding school b\^ Mrs. Southwick, 
Rev. M. C. Stelibins and William A. Kilbourn, A. M. 

The Old Town-House Building, opposite the depot at Lancaster Center. It once stood near the resi- 
dence of Mrs. Solon Wilder, but was finally sold and moved to its present location and transformed into 
a boot and shoe shop. It is now used as a dwelling, but contains much of the timber and framework 
of the old fourth meeting-house. 



The Vose House was l)iiilt about the end of the l.Sth centurv liv judge Sprague (John Sprague, 
Ksq.), who served the town ten years as representative, two as senator, was sherifl" for three years, and 
for two years was chief justice of the court of common pleas for Worcester county. The last of the 
family to occupy the house was judge Sprague's grandson, the late S. J. Sprague Vose. 

The Whiting Place. Home of Gen. John Whiting, who died in Washington in ISIO. He served 
through the Revolutionary war, was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the Fourth United States Infan- 
try, and held a commission as brigadier general in the militia. He became associate justice of the court 
of sessions. His daughter, Caroline Lee, as Mrs. Hentz, became a very popular writer of verse and fic- 
tion. His son, Henry, brevet brigadier general, U. S. X., published two volumes of poetrj- and contrib- 
uted articles to the Sorth American Review. 



Thayer. Devoted to its present use since June, 1890. 

Built and occupied b_v Thomas Saftord, subsequently passing into the possession of Dr. David Steu- 
art Robertson, and at his death was left to a female friend in Boston — one who might have borne his 
name if death had not separated thcni. Dr. Robertson was a scholar, of gentlemanly manners and tastes, 
and although fitted for society and genial with particular friends, yet led a retired life. It is said that 
while driving through this section of the country with his friend. Dr. Parsons, he was attracted by the 
quiet beauty of this neighborhood and decided to make it his place of residence. 



The Washburn Place, Norlli Lancaster. Mr. John M. Washlnirn retired troni business in Boston 
and was a resident of Lancaster from 1838 until his death in 186L Two of his sons, Edward R. and 
Francis, rendered distinguished service and lost their lives in the Rebellion. Capt. Edward R. Washburn 
was brought from the bloody charge at Port Hudson with a shattered thigh, to die at home within a 
jxar. Col. P'rancis Washburn, though constanth- in the service, and often emploj'ed in difficult and dan- 
gerous cavalry dutj-, escaped injury until the last engagement of the war at High Bridge, Va., where 
he was mortally wounded while leading a desperate cavalry charge against an overwhelming force of the 
enemj-, April 6, 186.5. He was breveted brigadier-general the same day. He was brought from the field 
of battle and died at the home of his brother, Hon. John 0. Washburn, in Worcester, April 22, 1865. 



The Carter Mill on the south branch of the Nashua in South Lancaster, where was once the " wad- 
inj; place" of the early settlers. The dam and saw and jurist mills at this privilege were built by Sawyer 
& Wilder in 1805. After them came Bennett and Wilder and others, until it passed into the hands of 
Samuel Carter. A fulling mill was started in addition to the saw and grist mills. The clothiers and wool 
carders successively here were Ezekiel Knowlton, Asa Buttrick and Ephraim Fuller. Asahel Tower, Jr., 
also operated a nail-cutting machine in connection with the saw mill. The Fuller mill was burned about 
the year 1840, Mr. Fuller never rebuilt, but bought a mill privilege of George Howard, which is now 
known as FuUerville. Mr. Carter's grist mill was burned a few years later, and he built a shingle and 
saw mill on a canal about 4-00 feet distant from the Carter and Fuller mills sites. He also built a large 
factoi-y and leased it to the Pitts Brothers for the manufacture of cotton cloth, Mr. Cutler later using it 
for the same purpose. In 1S56 this mill was burned. The present grist mill was run for several years by 
r. J. Lewis ,-in(i is now owned and operated by Seymour i\: .Macdonald. 




Carter Mil], South Lancaster. " Wading Place" uf Early Settlers. 



The Peter Thurston House, South Lancaster. Built in ITS-i by I'eter Thurston, Jr., who about that 
time bought a portion of his father's farm and began its erection. The land on this corner and all over 
the intervale to the Clinton line and up the Sterling road a little be3-ond the house of Mr. Parker consti- 
tuted the origin;il farm. There have been three or four houses near the site of the present one, the last 
one (the Flagg house) having been burned several years ago. The Thurston house is now owned by Mr. 
W. C. Young of Worcester. It has been occupied by the builder, his great-grandfather, and his daughter, 
Mrs. Sawjer, who married Eben Sawyer, great-grandson of Hannah Dustin ot Indian fame, and her sis- 
ter, Miss Thurston, and Mr. Young's aunt, Mrs. Stimson, passing from them into the hands of his 
mother, Mrs. Young, daughter of Mrs. Sawyer, and at her death coming into Mr. Young's possession, 
the land never having passed out of the family in over 200 years. 



The Cutler House was one of several ancient farmhouses on the George Hill range of house lots 
wliich were standinjj a few years ago, but have since been torn down. This place was in the possession 
of the Cutler family for many years, ami in this old farmhouse thirteen children of the family were 
raised, twelve of whom are now livini;. It was also the home of tlie Lineolns, another large family, for 
a long time before. 




The Phelps House. Near Lane's crossing, on the Harvard 
road, or " Phc-lps street," as it was sometimes called, because sev- 
eral families of that name lived on the road from the corner to 
Ponikin Hill. This farmhouse, although not as old as some oth- 
ers ill town, has the appearance of considerable age, by reason of 
the exterior being plastered in imitation of granite and having 
become weather-beaten and discolored by exposure to the ele- 
ments. 

William I 'helps, tlie last of the name to occupy the house, 
lived to be over ninety years old. He was born there in ISOo, 
and his father had lived there many years before him. 

The photograph of this old homestead and the accompany- 
ing snap-shot of the "Old Oaken Bucket" and t3-pical New Eng- 
land well-sweep were taken liy .\Ir. Edmund G. Davis, curator 
of the Leominster museum, on one of the landscape trips which 
he occasionallv takes bv wav of recreation. 



The "Great Elm." Many ot the elms on the streets and in the inter\'ales are large and sym- 
metrical, hut the queen iif all is the elm in Lover's Lane, on the cast side of the main Nashua River 
below the Center Bridge. It is twenty-five feet in diameter five feet from the ground, ninety-five feet in 
height, with one hundred and fifteen feet spread of branches, and is supposed to be the largest elm in 
Mew England. 



The "Carter Oak." One of the larfjest red oaks in Massachusetts. Si.xteen feet in circumference five 
lect iVoni tlie ffround. On the south side of the highway known as the " Back Road." about twenty rods 
north ol the \'allev I'arin house and ureenhonses of .Nathaniel Thayer. 



The ■' Beaman Oak." ( ine i>t'tlii.- laruest white oak trees in Massachusetts. Cireumlereiice at base 
tweiitv-nine tVet. Five I'eet above, eighteen feet, five inches. Height seventy-eight feet. Spread of l)ranches 
seventv-five feet. Between the Nortli \'illase and Lane's Crossing. Ganiahel Beaman settled here in 1659. 



Memorial Hall Library Building. Erected as a monument to those men who ;iaYe their lives 
l<ir their (.(iiintrv during the Rebellion. This edifice contains shelving for over 30,000 volumes, and a 
reading room in which is a talilct liearing the names of the town's soldiers who died in the war. 
.\ fire-proofroom is used by the town officers, and contains the town records. The upper hall is devoted 
to the natural history collection, liistorical relics, portraits of Lancaster celel)rities, etc. 

The Rowlandson "Locker." This historical relic, according to well authenticated tradition, was 
l)rought from lingland about KiHS by John and Joanne White, the parents of Mrs. Mary Rowland- 
son. It was probably left in Wenham with liis daughter Joanna or son Thomas. When Mary (their 
sister Mrs. Rowlandson) after her captivity si-t u]) iiousekceping with Ijare walls in Boston, there is no 
doubt tli.-it thev gave her this piece of furniture. It remained in the possession of her descendants for 
several generations. In 1S71> it was purchased by the Lancaster town library with money bequeathed by 
Miss Marv Whitney, a native of Lancaster, and added to their collection of historical relics. 



The Capt. John White House. Kc-siilence of Mr. Nathaniel C. Hawkins. Built abdut 17u7-10cin land 
.uranied to Captain John's grandlather, John White the emigrant, who owned land on both sides of the 
road, his homestead being the Edward Houghton place opposite. This homestead descended from father 
to son unto the si.xth generation, passing out of the name by the death of Uea. Samuel F. White in 1843, 
his widow marrying l)ea. Peter O,sgood and Kldward Houghton marrying Dea. Osgood's daughter. The 
original house was burned in 1676 when .Mr. White's daughter, Mrs. Kerley, was killed, and her sisters, 
.Mrs. Rowlandson and Mrs. Divoll, cajjtured by the Indians; and again in 1816. The present house, 
where Mr. Houghton now resides, was built by Dea. Samuel K. White. The Capt. John White house was 
evidently built for a garrison house, the lower story very low studded and the second story nine feet in 
the clear. The well was in the cellar for convenience in case of siege. 







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Spr;iff-iif Hrid^^v nnt] I liv "Sli.tllo 



Where the Iwnls do cross/ 




The ■■ \\;itlin^' I'Iulc" or ■-Shallows:' Site ot the First Cart Bridge. Iniilt in lor.s 




Smith Lnnc.-ister. Street \'iv\v. 




The Old Town Puniitl. Xnrth Lancaster. 




Main Street. L.iiic-istcr Center. 




I'arker's Ponil. on the George A. Parker Estate. 




Southwestern View of the Central Part of Lancaster, 1839. Frdin " Barlx-r's Historical Collections." 
Sketched from the road a few rods north of tlie .Middle Cemetery. The prominent building in the center 
is the Unitarian church. The building with a small spire to the right is the Academy. The Lancaster 
House, with a turret, is seen to the left of the church. The brick house and some other buildings opposite 
and to tlie left of the hotel, were for many years the location of an extensive business in book publishing, 
engraving on wood, copper and steel, map printing and coloring, book-binding, stereotyping, lithograph- 
ing, etc., employing nearly a hundrcil hands. 

The bridge seen below the meeting-house is that on which the principal road crosses the Nashua. 
The Kowlandson garrison was located on the spot where the cattle are seen feeding. The view of Lan- 
caster Center, on the opposite page, was photographed from Oeorge Hill in 190+. 



The Slate Quarry. The old slate quarry, 
in the northeastern part of the town, near 
Cunibury Pond, was discovered l5y Gershom 
Flagg, a wealthy Boston architect and contract- 
or, who owned a farm in Lancaster. He began 
quarrying slate soon after 1750. Miss Hannah 
Klagg Gould, the poet, a grand-daughter of 
Gershom Flagg, \Yrote long afterward in a 
poem referring to her childish memories of Lan- 
caster : 

" I still hear rehearsed the old tale of the quarry. 
Of far-carried slate which iny ^grandfather 
found." 

With the suliject a tragic incident is con- 
nected. A nephew of Mr. Flagg, also named 
Gershom, who had married a Lancaster girl, 
Mary VVillard, was killed by a fall in 17o8, at the age of twenty-eight, while slating a house in Boston. 
On Mr. Flagg's death in 1771, his Lancaster property went to his son (icrshom, who sold the quarry in 
1789 to Joseph Wales. In 179,S, the Rev. Peter Whitney wrote of it in "The History of the County of 
Worcester," as "the fine and valuable, and, perhaps, inexhaustible slate pit, furnishing slates and tile for 
the roofs of houses, and most excellent stones for tombs and graves." " Xo slates equal to these," con- 
tinues Whitney, "'have yet been discovered on the Continent. Great numbers are used in Boston every 
season. They are also exported to Virginia, to New York, to Hartford in Connecticut, etc." The quarry 
was still worked by Mr. Wales, and afterwards by Leonard Farwell, in the first decade of the nineteenth 
century, but in 1826 Joseph VVillard ("Topographical and Historical Sketches of the Town of Lancas- 
ter") says it had not then been used for many years, on account of the expense of transportation, and 
that water stood deep in the pit. In 1879 a company was formed to revive this ancient Lancaster indus- 
try, but the enterprise was given up after two or three years. More recently slate from the old quarry 
has been ground as material for pressed brick by a plant for the purpose at Still River, liut was found 
to be rather too hard to use to advantage in this wav. 





Tlie ■•Old Brick Tuvcrii/ 




Herd <ff Jerseys. 




The Center Bridge. o\er the niain Nashua River. Just helow the " ^.leetin^ of the Waters,' 




h'ivcr iiL\'ir W'luiflrull' Ilrhl^c. 



L.afl 




White liirch h'lKi,!. Dccrshoru Distrkr. 




,\f>rth I'.r.-nicii t>t the .\;islitiH fn>ni I'oiiikin Bridge. 




Ponikiii Bridge. North Lancaster. 




'Seven liritl^e Rum!.' 




r/eir I'n the Sniitfi Branch of the Nashua. 




'^yieetijifj^ nf the Witters." inomitiLi 




' Meet ill L[ ul the Waters," evening 




U-.nld." 



DEC 21 1904 



''A > 



